1993 Chevrolet C3500 Crew Cab Restoration/Cummins Build

[rolla711]

Mechanical fan is definitely a biggie but with you doing the body lift you should have the room now

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[JScott23]

Mechanical fan is definitely a biggie but with you doing the body lift you should have the room now

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Yeah its no prob even without the body lift. Definitely want that over electric fans for long trips. Hate to be stuck in another state and have a fan take a dump lol

 

[deejaaa]

i'm in. i want to see this work.

 

[JScott23]

So i mentioned earlier this is a sentimental build, and while progress has stalled, at least while i'm waiting on parts i figured i'd keep the thread alive.

Here are a couple pictures from back in the 90's.

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And some interior shots, after over 20 years in the family this interior was well taken care of throughout the years, and really is the core of this build. Really neat being able to retain the factory interior that i spent so many hours in growing up.

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And for rear bumper, i've really planned on doing a roll pan (despite its non factory feel) due to the body lift... but that said, i got to going through pictures the other night and i might make another rear bumper similar to the one i made on my 97.

(Also going to have to bite the bullet for one of those tailgate badges at some point) I might even end up keeping the side moldings on this truck as well. We'll see.

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[JScott23]

I know this isn't engine swap related, but i wanted to see how this looked and couldn't wait any longer.

As i've mentioned before, i'm going with a whole "OE Theme" for this project, particularly given the history behind the build. That said, I thought i could get away with the 2K15 mirrors... much bettter viewing angle over the GMT800 tow mirrors.. That said, hated them, took them off within 10 minutes. Just didn't work for me, i didn't feel like they fit in. Tried clear corners, still hated it.

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So not really being able to realistically return them, i took the GMT800 mirrors off the red truck... much better. With the amber corners and gold bowtie it somewhat looks like a factory truck.

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While i'm still not a huge fan, they look much better on the red truck.

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Here is a PHOTOSHOP picture of the truck demolded. Much more of the look i'm going for, plan to reinstall all of the factory emblems (factory 3500 door badge, silverado cab emblem, and tailgate banner) after paint.

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[Jorge6.5]

I'm diggin the second pic down. also in favor of the molding removal

Gonna look good

 

[deejaaa]

the newer mirrors might look better after a fresh paint job. something shiny/new on a dull/old body always looks out of place.

 

[JScott23]

I'm diggin the second pic down. also in favor of the molding removal

Gonna look good

Yeah thats the one i like best. The GMT800 mirrors look clean, simple, and although the GMT400's didnt come with tow mirrors, they fit in with the whole stock appearing theme.

the newer mirrors might look better after a fresh paint job. something shiny/new on a dull/old body always looks out of place.

Thats definitely true.. Idk, IMO they work better on the red truck. Still a very nice mirror, much larger with a better viewing angle, they just don't really fit the theme of what i'm going for.


I know its not the hot trend or norm right now with everything guys are doing to these trucks... but i will say i absolutely dig the factory looking front end with the gloss black fender flares. It just looks like a clean work truck to me. Then the small things like the exhaust tip, billet grill insert and wheels just give it a nice mix of custom while keeping the original styling of the truck.

 

[JScott23]

Update: Acquired some non fogged OEM headlights from a local buddy.

They (Like everything else) needed modified. Had to cut out the inner adjustment mechanism due to the intercooler, but they still work fine without them.

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Only thing i think i'll add is a lower valence to cover up the frame horns below the bumper. Still not super thrilled about the body lift but between engine bay clearance, and wheel clearance, it just helps.

 

[JScott23]

Finally got my AC and Alternator Bracket from Syndicate Chop Shop out of Robins, IA.

Will do a quick review. I'd honestly heard shaky reviews about them before ordering, particularly with customer service issues, so I spent some time reading and talking to people. Going into this, I knew when you order from him, it says all orders process within 60 days. So I knew I'd be waiting from the start.

Well around the 56th day, I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to get my stuff. I'd seen some not so good things on Facebook recently, and honestly was starting to worry a little bit. I sent a few facebook msg's (which is how I contacted him before ordering), no reply. So I posted something on a Facebook group page that he admins, seeing if anyone had similar issues. Heard some pretty negative feedback from some of the people who commented, but long story short, I ended up calling him, and we had an adult conversation about it. He admitted he was slammed with work, and hadn't been able to ship out orders. He indicated he would work to get some of his pending orders shipped before the weeks end. (60th day). He was really cool about it, I could tell he was just busy with customer projects and what not, but my point to him was that I had paid in full when I ordered and expected the parts within the 60 days. He agreed that was fair. All drama aside, on the 59th day, I got the package.

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The mounts work great for what they are. They're a pretty simple design, nothing extravagant. They keep everything over to that passenger side. For $250 shipped they come raw & unpainted with a belt. I still need to powdercoat them, which i'll have done locally. The biggest pro for me was that they retain the single factory dodge belt, and the GM alternator which only needs the pulley swapped out to the wider dodge pulley . (need to specifiy year of alternator when you order)

These mounts utilize the dodge AC compressor. He does sell custom AC lines to use with the dodge compressor, although ive heard of guys be able to source their own, having them made local, or using the back half of a GM compressor to make it work. My truck being a 93 had the old round "pancake" style so i'll figure that out once the motor is in the truck. If I have to order his lines at an additional $175, so be it.

Overall I'm pretty pleased, everything worked out great. The wait and stress of wondering if it was all legit was a pain, but I will say, if you've got time to wait, it's a nice alternative to Auto Worlds accessory brackets. (which run roughly $650) . All of Auto World's GM brackets use a dual belt system, which works fine, but I wanted to keep the oil fill tube which must be capped when using the Auto World Stuff. That and the price was enough to defer me elsewhere.

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!!!!!IMPORTANT WHEN SWAPPING PULLEYS!!!!
You will need a small spacer as the nut which holds the pulley on the GM alt will run out of threads before it's tight when using the Dodge pulley.

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As I said in a previous post, These mounts are probably something you could try to fab on your own depending on your fabrication abilities. Just keep in mind even 1/8th of an inch can result in accelerated or premature belt failure, along with causing the "chucking" of belts. So make sure whatever route you go that everything is in line. For me, the 60 days and $250 was worth it, but If I did another one, I might mess around try to fab something up myself if I had the time. Even if you have a pre 96 truck and wanted to keep the round AC compressor... You'd just have to invest some time into making your own brackets for it.

I do also want to clarify that Ken and his wife at Auto world are fantastic. Whether you buy the whole 9 yards or nothing, They'll bend over backwards to help you. Only reason I didn't use their parts was that I didn't like the idea of eliminating the oil fill tube to keep the alternator on the drivers side and that their parts are a little too expensive for my budget..

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Moving forward, I did get a chance to rip off the side moldings as they'll have to come off when the truck is repainted. I don't think they're going back on ether.

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I'll be re-using the factory 3500 emblem as the GMT900 "3500HD" emblems just don't fit with the GMT400 styling, and are a little too much of an "Auto Zone" mod for me. I'll be running the factory emblem inside the body line just like the factory trucks without moldings. Not even going to add a cummins badge, just keep it plain like a factory Cheyenne work truck.

Lots of body work to do, but it's getting there. I love the look of it, just plain and simple. No ricey mods, excessive color matching, oversized lift, or too much wheel/tire. Overall, it sports nothing other than a simple work truck attitude.

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